1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a line introduction guide for a pass-through fishing rod, and more particularly to a line introduction guide mounted on a fishing rod member having an internal passage therethrough and through which a fishing line is caused to pass, for guiding the fishing line from a fishing reel into a fishing line introduction port.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical pass-through fishing rod has a line introduction port, an internal passage through the interior of the fishing rod, and an opening in the rod tip. The fishing line extends from a reel near the rod grip, through the line introduction port and internal passage, and out through the opening in the rod tip.
One type of pass-through fishing rod is shown in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 8-107739, and includes a line introduction guide. This line introduction guide includes front and rear fastening elements which are respectively formed at the front and rear ends thereof. These fastening elements are attached to the fishing rod at two points on either side of the line introduction port. An arch-shaped connecting element connects the front and rear fastening elements, and a guide element is formed in the connecting element. The guide element guides the fishing line from the reel into the line introduction port, so that the fishing line can be passed through the internal passage of the pass-through fishing rod.
The mechanical strength of this line introduction guide is high because it is fixed at two points along the length of the fishing rod. Furthermore, there is a reduced possibility that the guide element may be deformed as the result of an accident, because the guide element is formed in the connecting element. This is especially true when this type of fishing rod is compared with a standard fishing rod (non-pass-through) which has a plurality of ring-shaped guide elements projecting from its outer circumferential surface. Moreover, because the connecting element is formed into an arch shape, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the fishing line becomes tangled when there is too much slack therein.
FIG. 4 of the above-described prior art publication also shows another type of line introduction guide. An arch-like intermediate support portion has a second guide element formed therein. One end of the intermediate support portion is fixed to the connecting element, and the other end is fixed to the fishing rod at a point in between the front and rear fastening elements of the connecting element. The mechanical strength of this line introduction guide is further enhanced because of this configuration. However, because one end of the intermediate support portion must be fixed to the fishing rod, it increases the complexity of the structure and increases the overall weight.